LIIC Peers
Serving as a council, committee, or SIG chair is a rewarding but also challenging at times. To ensure you feel supported and confident in your leadership, you can connect directly with one of SBM’s LIIC Peers – members of the Leadership Identification and Inclusion Committee with extensive experience in organizational leadership, communication, time management, conflict resolution, and more. This is a fantastic resource for guidance, encouragement, and practical solutions as a current or incoming SBM chair. Please note that member login is required to access your peers.
Meet Your LIIC Peers
Christine M. Hunter, PhD, ABPP
Co-Director
C&C Hunter Consulting
SBM Member Since 1995
Areas of Expertise:
Conflict Resolution / Difficult Questions; Effective Communication & Collaboration; Council, Committee, or SIG Meeting Engagement; Time Management/Boundaries; Member Programming & Attendance; SBM Staff Liaison Relations
Christine Hunter, Ph.D., ABPP, obtained her doctorate in Clinical Psychology and is she Board Certified in Clinical Health Psychology. She is active in several science associations. She is the Immediate Past President of SBM and serves as a member of SBM’s Professional Advancement and Development Councils. She is the Chair of SBM’s Leadership Identification and Inclusion Committee. She also serves as the President-Elect of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS).
Currently, she provides consultative services to academic and non-profit organizations on health-related research to include study design, grant writing, and implementation of research studies. For a large part of her career, she worked at the NIH. She served as Deputy Director and then Acting Director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. In these positions, she focused on enhancing the impact of behavioral and social sciences research, coordinating and integrating these sciences within the larger NIH research enterprise, and improving the communication of behavioral and social sciences research to many audiences. Previously, she was the Director of Behavioral Research at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases where she led a broad and innovative behavioral science research portfolio. Prior to joining the NIH, she was active duty in the U.S. Air Force and worked in clinical, research, leadership, and health policy positions.
Alicia Dahl, PhD, MS
Associate Professor of Public Health
University of North Carolina - Charlotte
SBM Member Since 2013
Areas of Expertise:
Effective Communication & Collaboration; Council, Committee, or SIG Meeting Engagement; Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging; Time Management/Boundaries; Member Programming & Attendance; Leadership Development (New & Experienced Chairs)
Alicia A. Dahl, Ph.D., M.S., is an Associate Professor at UNC Charlotte in the Department of Public Health and Health Administration and the recipient of the Bonnie Cone Early Career Teaching Professorship (2026-2029). Dr. Dahl graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Ph.D. in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior (2018). Prior, she received a Master of Science in Health Promotion from the University of Delaware (2013) and a Bachelor of Science in Global Health and Communications from Juniata College (2011). Her research agenda focuses on understanding health behaviors and promoting healthy lifestyles during transitional life phases, with a primary focus on college students and pregnant populations.
Within the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Dr. Dahl previously served as the Chair of the Public Education Committee (2023-2026), Co-chair of the Women’s Health SIG (2019-2022), and a member of the communication committee for the Women’s Health and the Behavioral Informatics and Technology Special Interest Groups. Dr. Dahl was a member of the 2023-2024 cohort of the Monica L. Baskin Diversity Institute for Emerging Leaders.
Stephanie Fitzpatrick, PhD, FSBM
Professor
Northwell Health
SBM Member Since 2004
Areas of Expertise:
Conflict Resolution / Difficult Questions; Effective Communication & Collaboration; Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging; Leadership Development (New & Experienced Chairs); SBM Staff Liaison Relations
Stephanie L. Fitzpatrick, PhD is the Simons Distinguished Chair in Clinical Research and Professor in the Institute of Health System Science within the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health. She is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine in the Zucker School of Medicine at Northwell. Her background is in clinical health psychology and behavioral medicine. Dr. Fitzpatrick has over a decade of experience developing, implementing, and evaluating behavioral interventions for chronic disease prevention and management in clinical and community-based settings and she has served as the principal investigator or co-investigator on several federal and foundation funded grants. Her work particularly focuses on strategies to combine behavioral and social health interventions to address health-related social needs and promote health behavior change. Dr. Fitzpatrick is the Director of the DECIDETM Self-Management Program, member of the ADA Professional Practice Committee, 2024-2025 President of the Society for Health Psychology (Division 38 of the American Psychological Association), Associate Editor for Diabetes Care, and former board member for the Society of Behavioral Medicine.
Jose Bauermeister, MPH, PhD, FSBM
Albert M. Greenfield Professor of Human Relations
University of Pennsylvania
SBM Member Since 2018
Areas of Expertise:
Conflict Resolution/Difficult Questions; Effective Communication & Collaboration; Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging; Leadership Development (New & Experienced Chairs)
José A. Bauermeister, PhD, MPH, is the Albert M. Greenfield Professor of Human Relations at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on advancing health equity through behavioral, digital, and implementation science approaches, with a particular emphasis on HIV prevention and care and LGBTQ+ health. Across his career, he has led multidisciplinary research programs that translate behavioral science into scalable interventions and implementation strategies that improve population health outcomes.
Within SBM, he has contributed as a member, reviewer, mentor, and collaborator across multiple initiatives. His involvement has focused on advancing interdisciplinary behavioral medicine research, supporting early-career investigators, and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the scientific workforce. Beyond SBM, he has held leadership roles in national and international professional organizations, advisory boards, and scientific committees related to public health. These experiences have strengthened his commitment to fostering collaborative leadership, supporting member engagement and professional development, and advancing the scientific and translational impact of our professional communities.
Roger Figueroa, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Sc.
Assistant Professor of Social and Behavioral Science in Nutrition
Cornell University
SBM Member Since 2018
Areas of Expertise:
Effective Communication & Collaboration; Council, Committee, or SIG Meeting Engagement; Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging; Time Management/Boundaries; Volunteer / Member Engagment; Member Programming & Attendance; Leadership Development (New & Experienced Chairs); SBM Staff Liaison Relations
Dr. Figueroa's research focuses on addressing food insecurity as a public health issue through community-based and policy-driven solutions. He has served as an SBM Health Policy Ambassador (2020-2022), as the Advocacy Council Chair (2022-2025), and for SBM’s Board of Directors during his time as Advocacy Council Chair. In recognition for his efforts, he have been honored with the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS) Early Career Impact Award (2025), the SBM C. Tracy Orleans Distinguished Service Award (2025), and the State University of New York Horizon Award for Faculty Research and Scholarship (2025-2026).
Amanda Blok, PhD, MSN, RN, PHCNS-BC
Research Investigator
VA Center for Clinical Management Research
SBM Member Since 2013
Areas of Expertise:
Effective Communication & Collaboration; Council, Committee, or SIG Meeting Engagement; Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging; Time Management/Boundaries; Volunteer / Member Engagement
Dr. Blok is passionate about evidence-based practice implementation in healthcare and policy. Amanda has served on the Position Statements Committee since 2015, and chaired this committee from March 2025 to March 2026. Over this time, SBM position statements have focused on health equity, along with key issues like childhood nutrition and NIH funding. Together, these important public health priorities reflect SBM’s shared commitment to improving health outcomes and supporting strong, evidence-based research that benefits all communities.
William Sieber, PhD, FSBM
Director and Chief, Integrated Behavioral Health
University of California – San Diego
SBM Member Since 1991
Areas of Expertise:
Conflict Resolution/Difficult Questions; Effective Communication & Collaboration; Time Management/Boundaries; Member Programming & Attendance
Dr. Bill Sieber earned his doctorate degree in clinical health psychology from Yale University, completing his internship at the Palo Alto VA/Stanford consortium. He is a Clinical Professor at UC San Diego in both the Department of Family Medicine as well as Department of Psychiatry. He co-founded the UC San Diego Integrated Behavioral Health program that now includes dozens of behavioral health providers serving over 120,000 patients across 12 primary care clinics across San Diego County. He also serves as Associate Director of Research for the Department of Family Medicine.
Dr. Sieber served on the Board of Directors for the Society of Behavioral Medicine, has published dozens of papers in top-tier research journals, been a Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI on several grants examining the value of behavioral health providers on patient care, is a reviewer for over a dozen premier professional journals, and currently serves as Associate Editor for Families, Systems, and Health, the premier peer-reviewed journal for integrated behavioral health. He has appeared in popular health publications such as MD Edge Internal Medicine and was in 2024 was honored as a “luminary” by the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association. He has presented to over 200,000 health care providers on topics including improving one’s physical and mental health, the management of anxiety, fatigue and insomnia, mindfulness, caregiver stress syndrome, and burnout of health care professionals.
Peer-to-Peer Question Menu
Common questions you might have for an LIIC Peer. Member login required to access available LIIC Peers to connect with.
- How can I open a conversation with a member who’s not pulling their weight?
- How do I navigate the differences of opinions among committee members and help build consensus?
LIIC Peers Ready to Answer Your Questions:
- How can I correct misinformation shared in our group without escalating conflict?
- I feel like I’m carrying most of the workload. How can I ask others for help?
- How do I collaborate with other SBM councils, committees, or SIGs?
- How can I facilitate connecting members to specific SBM resources and networks?
LIIC Peers Ready to Answer Your Questions:
- What are ways I can get more people involved and committed to the tasks at hand?
- What do I do if one of my members is not consistently showing up for calls?
- If I have a member who can never attend a call but still wants to be involved, how do I handle this situation?
LIIC Peers Ready to Answer Your Questions:
- How can I help new members feel welcomed and included?
- How can I create a safe space for everyone to feel comfortable sharing their opinions and ideas?
- How do I make sure my committee is inclusive of diverse voices?
- How can I handle bias if I see it in a meeting or group dynamic?
LIIC Peers Ready to Answer Your Questions:
- How do I navigate feeling overwhelmed with the demands of both work and serving as Chair?
- How do I set boundaries so chair responsibilities don’t take over my day job?
- How do I communicate the value of my leadership role at SBM to my employer?
- What if I no longer have the time or ability to serve in my role?
LIIC Peers Ready to Answer Your Questions:
- What are some ways that I can make my council, committee, or SIG members feel appreciated?
- How do I figure out the strengths of my members so I know how to effectively allocate tasks?
- Who should I be asking to join my council, committee, or SIG leadership?
- How do I make sure I have roles on my council, committee, or SIG that are suitable for students?
LIIC Peers Ready to Answer Your Questions:
- How can I boost attendance and interaction for our webinar / Annual Meeting session?
- What is the best way to structure a breakfast roundtable or networking session?
LIIC Peers Ready to Answer Your Questions:
- I don’t fully understand what is expected of me in my role as chair. How can I gain some clarity?
- What do I do when I am supposed to be transitioning to SIG Chair and the current SIG Chair has not reached out to me yet?
- How do I set realistic goals for our committee or SIG this year? (Keep in mind you may have required annual programs or goals assigned to you by the Board of Directors.)
- What do I do if I don’t feel comfortable sharing my opinions with other committee members?
- Are there any resources, training, and support that can help me in my role as Chair?
LIIC Peers Ready to Answer Your Questions:
- I have some issues / ideas that I want to address with my staff liaison but don’t know how to start this conversation. What are some helpful tips for approaching staff?
- I’m not sure what responsibilities fall to staff vs. chairs — how can I clarify that without overstepping?
- How can I share feedback about SBM processes or staff support in a constructive way?
- I have an idea for a new initiative — what’s the best way to test whether staff capacity and resources are available?
LIIC Peers Ready to Answer Your Questions: